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Ole Miss camp position battles

Courtney Cronin and Ole Miss beat writer Hugh Kellenberger discuss the top storylines for the Rebels headed into fall camp, including the team's strength at skill positions, offensive line concerns and more. (Video by Courtney Cronin/Clarion-Ledger).

OXFORD – When you bring back 16 starters, you start from a position of strength come August.

And it's better than that for Ole Miss, because at a handful of places where the Rebels technically lost a starter it had a ready-made replacement (like Quincy Adeboyejo at slot receiver, and Fadol Brown at defensive end). So while Ole Miss does have position battles going on, it's not nearly as widespread as it has been in years past. Even the backup quarterback competition has simmered down, as coach Hugh Freeze makes it clear he's willing to go well into the season before naming a No. 2 behind Bo Wallace.

Running back

I'Tavius Mathers and Jaylen Walton are both juniors that ran for more than 500 yards last season, and there are no less than four other scholarship players at the position.

But can any of them be a true No. 1 back?

Last year's leading rusher in terms of attempts was quarterback Wallace, and Walton's 112 carries did not rank in the top 20 in the Southeastern Conference.

Mathers made huge strides in the spring. Coaches started using the word "special" to describe him, so maybe he's finally ready. Walton is the best receiver out of the backfield by a significant margin, making him an asset.

The most likely option is Mathers and Walton share carries, with someone from the group of Mark Dodson, Jordan Wilkins, Eugene Brazley and Akeem Judd pushing for a handful of snaps a game as the No. 3 back.

Center/right tackle

The two positions are linked by one player: Robert Conyers.

Freeze said that Conyers, a redshirt sophomore, will play both center and offensive tackle in training camp. But he's probably not the favorite at either center (where Ben Still is a more natural snapper) or right tackle (where Fahn Cooper comes in with more game experience).

It's also possible that Rod Taylor forces his way onto the field at right tackle, where coaches are going to give the former Callaway standout a shot. Sean Rawlings, another in-state signee from the class of 2014, is a center.

Cornerback

Ole Miss brings back three players who played a lot of football in 2013: Senquez Golson at field (the wider side of the field) cornerback, and Mike Hilton and Derrick Jones at boundary (shorter) corner. Hilton and Jones are listed on the team's depth chart as a either/or battle at the position.

But Golson is not guaranteed to start in Week 1 because Ole Miss added two significant talents. Kendarius Webster is a four-star prospect with good size and speed. Then, Ole Miss got good news this week when Tee Shepard was declared academically eligible.

Shepard, a Holmes Community College standout, is potentially a special talent. But JUCO signees have a long history of struggling to adapt to college schemes, so there are no guarantees there.

Ole Miss will let the five battle throughout August and will probably play most of them this season. No matter what, it's upgraded the talent level at the position.

Kicker

Freeze seems set on redshirt freshman Will Gleeson as his No. 1 punter going into this month, but place-kicker remains a competition. In fact, it's maybe the one Freeze said he is most anxious to watch unfold as practice begins.

The top contender is Gary Wunderlich, a Memphis native that was the No. 1 kicker in the country in the class of 2014 according to Rivals.com.

Andrew Fletcher has experiance, kicking a couple of extra-point tries in mop-up duty last season. He's the oldest, as a senior; Andy Pappanastos is the other contender, a one-time gray shirt candidate that redshirted last season.